Know Your Cat
Get to know your cat, to recognise her healthy state
- Look at the colour of her gums.
- How shiny is her fur?
- Has she got all her whiskers, teeth and claws?
- What parts of her body are normally hot or cool? (nose, forehead, back, paws)?
- Have you ever weighed your cat?
- How quickly will you notice if she loses or gains weight?
- How fast does she breathe?
- What does her normal breathing sound like?
- What does the inside of her ears look like, and the inside of her mouth?
- What about her behaviour?
- How often and when does she sleep, want to eat, drink, defecate, clean herself and play?
- When does she meow?
- How often does she scratch herself if at all, and where does she scratch and for how long?
- What frightens her, what pleases her, what does she like?
- Will you notice if she loses interest in her toys or her food?
- Will you notice if she feels pain?
Cats have a high tolerance to bumps and bruises which they may receive during fights or play, climbing or jumping. They have a high pain threshold. But this can make it difficult to detect certain problems.
In my experience, when a cat is "naughty", she is really trying to tell you something. For instance, when Misty scratches the furniture, she is in fact trying to call me into the room for attention. She knows I'll always come running, she has me perfectly trained. When she tried to drink from the toilet (The lids are now always closed shut!) it turned out it was because she'd run out of water.
If your cat is a breed, then find out what diseases that breed may be prone to and check that your cat does not have any signs of the problem.
